NOD32 AntiVirus 5 Download:

     By Jay Andrew Allen | October 3, 2011

Dashboard: NOD32 version 4 had two different Dashboard styles: a Basic mode with limited features and options, and an Advanced mode that unveiled richer functionality. With AntiVirus 5, ESET ditches this questionable feature in favor of a rich yet simple unified Dashboard. To simplify the task of finding popular features, the new Home screen sports a Frequently Used list of recent commands. A "Protection" box in the upper right window indicates the computer's current protection status, as well as provides a drop-down menu of popular commands.

NOD32 5.0 Dashboard:


Another UI improvement, breadcrumbs, provides a navigational menu on the top left of the main Dashboard area that provides one-click access back up a chain of sub-dialogs. It's a great little addition, but limited in use, given that no NOD32 features takes you more than two levels deep.

The NOD32 user interface is still highly configurable. By navigating to Setup -> Enter advanced setup..., users can disable the splash screen, suppress notifications, and even switch NOD32 to a non-graphical interface that would warm the heart of any Unix command-line junkie (Screenshot 7).

Is there anything revolutionary in NOD32's new features? No. What ESET has given us, however, is a well-executed set of industry-standard features that, taken together, put ESET on a level footing with the big players in the anti-virus industry.

First up: NOD32 gets Gamer Mode! A standard feature on many anti-virus platforms, Gamer Mode suspends disk and memory-intensive virus scanning applications when a user is watching a video or playing a PC-based game. NOD32's implementation is flexible: users can enable Gamer Mode manually, or configure the platform to enable it automatically whenever an application runs in full-screen mode. (To enable this auto-on functionality, go to Setup -> Enter advanced setup..., select User interface -> Gamer mode, and click on Enable Gamer Mode when running applications in full-screen mode automatically.) When Gamer Mode is enabled, the Protection icon in the upper right corner of NOD32 switches to orange as a warning that anti-virus scanning is temporarily suspended.

In order to keep apace of the rest of the anti-virus market, ESET has expanded its repertoire of malware technologies. ESET's cloud technology, Live Grid, uses information from millions of ESET users worldwide to flag potentially dangerous files and applications, providing additional defense against so-called "zero day" attacks. The ESET Reputation system tags processes with a reputation rating based on their worldwide prevalence and a computed risk level. NOD32 users can see the reputation assigned to all processes in the Running Processes tab off of the Tools screen (Screenshot 6). Finally, AntiVirus 5 introduces a new virus heuristic detection technology, Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS), that detects and actively blocks applications engaged in suspicious activity.

NOD32 version 5 introduces support for scanning and management of removable media. Whenever users insert a removable drive, they will be prompted whether to scan its contents now or later. NOD32 users can opt to change the default behavior so that all devices are automatically scanned whenever they are attached to the system.

NOD32 supports scanning any local drive, network drive, or removable media. Users can choose between three basic scan types: Smart Scan (the default); In-Depth Scan; and Context Menu scan.

NOD32 Virus Scanner:


Scan Speed: On our reference system*, ESET AntiVirus 5.0 cut a 44.3 MB/second initial swath through our 1GB test file matrix, and finished scanning the whole caboodle in 23.1 seconds. NOD32 exhibited an even greater leap in subsequent scans, tearing through the same matrix in a paltry 3.9 seconds, or 262.6 MB/second. Given that last year's subsequent scan speed clocked in at 70.6 MB/second, this is a vast improvement. (Graph)

Updates: NOD32 is still poor on virus definition updates, downloading new definitions a mere three times per day. (Graph)

*Reference Computer:  Windows 7 Home Premium running on a Toshiba Pentium Dual-Core T4200 (64 bit), with 3GB of RAM and a 210GB hard drive.

When we reviewed NOD32 version 4.2 last year, we gave it a terrible support rating. Since then, ESET has ramped up its online offerings by expanding its knowledge base and posting video tutorials. ESET has made it easier to access its user forum (which, apparently, has been in operation since at least 2008). You can also follow and contact the company via social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Unfortunately, using a support request form is still the only way to contact customer care directly; ESET does not offer telephone or chat support.

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